Sanger Residents Concerned About Planned Gas Distribution Center

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SANGER (CBSDFW.COM) – While residents who live near a planned gasoline distribution center have begun expressing concerns about an influx in traffic, the company in charge says it’s worked for nearly two years with county leaders to find an acceptable site for it.

The gas tanks themselves will be more than 900 feet from the property line.

Some residents are concerned that the road won’t be able to handle the traffic increase that will come with the distribution center.

Denton Terminal expects 150 truckloads a day.

“The road is dangerous, it’s not wide enough for 18-wheelers,” said Garrett Bays, a Denton resident who lives near the proposed site. “I don’t want to deal with all the traffic every time I leave home.”

Denton Terminal is applying for the required permits from the county and from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In a statement, Denton Terminal spokesman Stephen Senter said the company has coordinated its efforts with Denton County officials for nearly two years.

“Design includes placing the terminal well off of the roadway to minimize any impact to local residents, and includes acceleration and turning lanes to safely accommodate the trucks entering and exiting the facility while keeping the roadway safe for all drivers,” reads the statement.

“Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) will have approval over those designs.”

Senter said the company did not hear any serious concerns until after the property was purchased and it began applying for permits. Residents countered, saying they were never told about what was being built near their homes.

As such, there was much confusion among a group of more than a dozen who met Monday to discuss the plan.

“My daughter has a condition, I don’t want to expose her to anything coming out of this place,” said Tony Veno, a nearby homeowner. “The tank farm will be about 50 or 60 feet on the other side of the fence line.”

Senter said other locations were seriously considered and eliminated because they would have to build a new pipeline through populated areas or add additional truck traffic to heavily congested roadways.

“These markets are currently supplied by a dozen other similar terminals located in the densely-populated Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex area,” Senter said in the statement.

Residents hope it isn’t too late to have their voices heard. At 6:30 p.m. on July 18 at the Courthouse on the Square in Denton, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will discuss the pending permits with residents.

“If a semi doesn’t make it I got an 8,700 pound tanker in my front yard,” said nearby homeowner Mark Meng. “I’ve literally got a bomb that can go off.”